ANSWERS : Living

How do i become a prairie girl?

I am new to all this and i was wondering if I could get any suggestion on how to get started with making my own stuff like soap, candles, shampoo, etc?? I would also like to grow my own vegetable and learn some wood working!!! Please teach me your ways!!!!

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Johenix says: Jan 12, 2010. 8:41 AM

Where are you? What nation? It makes a dfference in what magazines you have available to you.

1.) "Mother Earth News" www.MotherEarthNews.com
2.) "Backwoods Home Magazine" www.backwoodshome.com
3.) "Countryside & Small Stock Journal" www.countrysidemag.com
4.) "Back Home" www.BackHomeMagazine.com
5.) "The Backwoodsman" www.backwoodsmanmag.com
6.) "Wilderness Way" www.wwmag.net

Mel Bartholomey's "The Squaire Foot Garden" I would go with a 5Ft. (1.5M.) x 20Ft. (6M.) Squaire Foot garden with an 8Ft. high trellis of barnyard steel fence pannel down the middle for tomatoes and cukumbers to climb on. That should be enough for two people.

Three more of these pannels (just steel rods welded togather) make the frame for an "A" frame chicken tractor or pen for 50 hens. Cover it with 50 Ft. of 8Ft. high poultry netting.

Two Mirro Pressure cookers, a 6 or 8 Qt. (L.) for every day cooking and a 22 Qt. (L.) for canning. If you have a back yard the burner from a turkey fryer can allow you to do the canning out of doors where you don't turn the whole house into an oven.

Mirime in reply to JohenixMay 18, 2010. 1:36 PM

Also Carla Emery's Encyclopedia of Country Living, Storey's Guide to.......(take your pick of the names) Ms. Emery's books are very awsome, compleate and has some fun stuff in it.

Johenix in reply to JohenixJan 22, 2010. 5:43 PM

On U.S. Military survival manuals the best is the inch and a half thick U.S.A.F. manual with a lot of simple celestial navigting and mountain climbing instructions in it.

Also take a look at gardening books by Jerry Baker.

Johenix in reply to JohenixMay 9, 2010. 9:29 PM

I made a mistake: The fence panels are not 8x20 ft. Still it is a good idea.

Add Elsworth Jaegar's "Wildwood Wisdom" to the book list.

arky2b (author) in reply to JohenixJan 20, 2010. 12:28 AM

dude you are awesome!!! thanks!!!!

frollard says: Jan 11, 2010. 1:15 AM

A lot of the stuff you mention isn't 'prairie' related; just like you say, 'do it yourself'.

Growing food is easy - plant seeds, fertilize and water, eat.

Making soap is relatively easy (as cooking goes) - search the site for 'soap'

What do you want to know about woodworking? Measure twice or thrice, cut once. Plan ahead - keep your wood as long as you can, as long as you can.
Predrill and countersink holes for screws when possible
Glue and screw is very strong.

If you are now a man, and want to become a girl- thats a whole new issue :P

arky2b (author) in reply to frollardJan 20, 2010. 12:31 AM

lol nice!! well i am a girl and i just said prairie grl because most of these where mentioned in a book titled "Prairie Girl". What do you been by keep your wood for as long as i can?? Why??

frollard in reply to arky2bJan 20, 2010. 3:38 AM

Keep your wood as long as you can, for as long as you can - as in; when woodworking, work with the longest pieces you can before cutting them down - if you cut it into a bunch of pieces and it was wrong, then its done. :D

RavingMadStudios in reply to frollardJan 11, 2010. 4:17 AM

Although if anyone were to put up a viable instructable for that last one, it would change the face of Making/DIY as we know it forever....

169

Kiteman in reply to RavingMadStudiosJan 11, 2010. 10:45 AM

All it would take would be one poorly-restrained grinding wheel...

steveastrouk in reply to KitemanJan 11, 2010. 4:04 PM

That's no fun, he's doing everything right. gloves, guards, ear pro.

steveastrouk in reply to steveastroukJan 20, 2010. 6:16 AM

(referring to Kiteman on grinding wheels, not your question. Sorry)

arky2b (author) in reply to steveastroukJan 20, 2010. 12:47 AM

huh??

RavingMadStudios in reply to KitemanJan 11, 2010. 11:24 AM

Ouch. Just... ouch.

arky2b (author) in reply to RavingMadStudiosJan 20, 2010. 12:32 AM

What did i do?!?!? I am sorry.....

RavingMadStudios in reply to arky2bJan 20, 2010. 6:07 AM

We're joking about Kiteman's DIY sex-change operation picture. You didn't do anything, we're just a bit off-topic. Happens a lot on these boards.

Jayefuu says: Jan 11, 2010. 1:13 AM

Welcome to instructables.

There are loads of "ibles" on the topics you are interested in. Without meaning to sound rude.... try the search box in the top right :)

arky2b (author) in reply to JayefuuJan 20, 2010. 12:34 AM

lol..... thanks for that pointer i would of been lost without you but now that i know what it is for I will put it at good use!!! :)

XOIIO says: Jan 11, 2010. 9:31 PM

I actually find this a bit offensive. We don't have "ways". We live life just as other people do. Your thinking olden days.

arky2b (author) in reply to XOIIOJan 20, 2010. 12:23 AM

lol calm down!! it was just a joke! :) don't worry be happy!!! but i am sorry for offending you!!!

Re-design in reply to XOIIOJan 12, 2010. 8:53 PM

You are behind the times lady. It's as modern to do a little for yourself now as it every was. Quit being a poser.

arky2b (author) in reply to Re-designJan 20, 2010. 12:24 AM

me posing!! ha.. not at all buddy. I enjoy this!! you should give it a try :)

Re-design in reply to arky2bJan 20, 2010. 6:04 AM

I wasn't posting to you about posing, I was posting to "XOIIO", for finding this offensive.

XOIIO in reply to Re-designJan 13, 2010. 12:27 AM

2 things.

1: I am a guy

2: I'm just saying that we don't have "ways". Yes, you can still have a vegetable garden and woodwork, but most people I know don't make soap, candles, shampoo etc. Maybe I took the question the wrong way, but it seemed like she thought that we made most of our things, which we don't (although i'd love to be able to make an x-box)

arky2b (author) in reply to XOIIOJan 20, 2010. 12:45 AM

well congratulations there buddy!!! but to "ways" i was mimicking how in many movies when someone wants to learn something new like for example Kong Fu they would say '"teach me your ways Master". Oh and i didn't mean you specifically if I am not mistaken there are some recipes on how to make such things like soap, candles, shampoo etc. on this website!!! :) so thank anyways!!!

Re-design in reply to XOIIOJan 13, 2010. 5:00 AM

Then you are just not doing the whole thing. Just because you don't have "ways" doesn't mean they are not there. Where I'm from we call the "country" ways. And people are proud of it.

purduecer says: Jan 11, 2010. 4:38 PM

Well... you have the girl part down (presumably, anyway). Seems to me all that's necessary now is a residence change to a more prairiesque environ... :-P

But seriously, google the US military survival guide, that oughta get you far.

steveastrouk says: Jan 11, 2010. 3:15 PM

Sort of this stuff ?

www.amazon.com/Prairie-Girls-Guide-Life-Projects/dp/1561589861

Re-design says: Jan 11, 2010. 4:38 AM

Pick up a set of book called "Foxfire". They are a compilation of articles from the old Foxfire magazine that was all about that.

Pick up a magazine called "Mother Earth News". It's really packed with good back to nature and self-subsistance info.

There are lots of info available on the internet to learn the skills that you are looking for.

If I might make a suggestion, go slow at first. Taking too big a first step can sour you to the whole plan. Make the garden 10'x10' instead of 500' x 1000'.

Good luck.